Soulful Sunday at The Bell Inn, Langford

Sometimes there's just nothing better than going out for a Sunday Roast. Blasphemous, I know. You're supposed to love your Mum's the best, because only she can crisp up the potatoes just the way you like them, serve you every variety of veg that you like on the side, and have all your favourite condiments ready and waiting. But, kitted out in your Sunday Best, you come across a corker, and it just feels magical.

Perhaps it's the fact that such things are a rarity. I've lost count of the "just ok" roasts I've had; nothing terrible, but nothing memorable either. Those are the kinds that sway you into the "Mum's is best" territory. Though for me, those are the kinds that keep me going out, on the hunt for that flawless Sunday Roast.

Last month The Chap and I headed somewhere new; The Bell Inn, Langford. Reopened in December, now run by Peter Creed and Tom Noest (both ex Lucky Onion), it's a proper local pub with a focus on quality food and drink. I'd heard high praise from friends, Instagram teased me with mouth watering snaps and, the week before our visit, Giles Coren unleashed a perfect score review in The Times. "On the final day of 2017, I had not just the best mouthful of the year, but the best mouthful of my life," he boldly said about some flat bread. I was practically giddy with excitement as we drove across the Cotswold countryside to get to our destination just outside Burford.

The Langford street was lined with cars; the word's spread already, we thought as we parked down the road. Our cheeks pink and stinging from the cold outside, we were greeted with a warm welcome and were seated at a table by the fire. Bingo. Pub checklist time. Roaring fire; check. Sunday papers; check. Local beers; check. Buzzy atmosphere; check. Pub dogs; check, check, check... Big ones, small ones, fluffy ones, scruffy ones. I do love a pub dog.

Hearty, classic pub food with the addition of woodfired dishes is the vibe here. Steak frites, a burger, half a pint of prawns, alongside beautifully blistered pizzas topped with such things as venison meatballs or nduja and pickled jalapenos. A trio of roasts on a Sunday too, though before we could even attempt to make any decisions, we ordered a pint, a glass of Cava (no Prosecco thank God) and THAT bread.

Garlic, parsley and bone marrow flat bread (£5); a little nod to Fergus Henderson's roast bone marrow with parsley salad, and a thing of dreams. I didn't do it Coren-style wrapped around a piece of sirloin, there was no chance this was hanging around long enough to see our mains. Pizza like in appearance, with a heady scent of garlic and bone fat like butter. It already has legendary status, and rightly so. If you don't order this when you visit, have you even been?

To start we had the Cotswold IPA rarebit, pickles and soldiers (£7). Cheese fondue rather than cheese on toast, rich and tangy with decent cayenne heat, and crisp sourdough soldiers to dunk... Much more fun. Then as much as it pains me, for fear of over carb-ing we shied away from the smoked eel on toast and picked the healthier smoked mackerel, beetroot, green beans and horseradish option (£7). Tangled together with rocket, you got a bit of everything with each forkful.

The wine list at The Bell Inn is excellent. A solid mix of old world and new world, traditional styles and funky natural numbers, all at a good price too. We went for the Lodi Californian Cab Franc (£27), of which the label's moustached Frank fitted right in with this Cotswold Gent location.

The Kelmscott pork loin and apple sauce roast (£15) was my choice; two fat piggy medallions, so juicy, with a piece of crisp crackling and caramelised apple sauce. The Chap predictably chose the dry aged beef sirloin and horseradish (£16), because it was a dead cert that the beef was going to be superb - it was - and he can never resist a Yorkshire Pudding. Both were served with seasonal veg - carrots, parsnips, cabbage - roasties, and creamy cauliflower cheese just to push you over the edge. Oh my.

Despite not having any room left, it isn't Sunday Lunch without dessert. The Valrhona Chocolate Nemesis was never going to get a look in with a name like that - shame, it looked great - so an old school rice pudding it was. Rice pudding with Earl Grey prunes (£6) brought out by Head Chef Noest himself. I would've kissed him if it wasn't wildly inappropriate. Not too sweet, not too heavy; soothing, comforting, and heart-meltingly good.

On the drive home, having prised ourselves away from the fire, we were both singing The Bell's praises. Was it the simplicity that made it one of our all time fave roasts? Was it the faultless execution? Or was it the whole perfect pub package? Neither of us cared to think about it too much, we're far more concerned with when we can next fit in a visit for dinner, and whether we'll even be able to get a table. 10/10 score well and truly deserved.

The Lucky Onion Presents: Sunday Lunch with Fergus Henderson

Sunday 19th April saw an exciting event in Cheltenham. They don’t come around too often, especially none of this calibre. It was hosted by The Lucky Onion at 131 The Promenade and I consider myself an extremely lucky onion to have been able to attend.

If you hadn’t have heard by now, Fergus Henderson was in town. Yes. FERGUS HENDERSON. And if you don’t know who he is, then you’re clearly not a proper foodie. Either that or you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past 20 years his famous St. John Restaurant has been open for. Though maybe I’m being unkind, you could be a veggie/vegan, in which case you probably shouldn’t read on.

Photo Credit: The Lucky Onion

Mr Henderson, with his ‘nose to tail’ eating, has achieved legendary status, and St. John isn’t just a restaurant, it’s an institution. Two decades is really quite something in restaurant years, particularly in London where there’s an endless stream of new openings, pop ups, street food stalls, cuisines and fashionable food fad joints. So how has he managed to keep going? By staying true to his food philosophy, that’s how. And having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the late nineties, Henderson’s 20 years of St. John seem to be even more exceptional. He’s proved that major obstacles can be overcome, and with such an intriguing enthusiasm and a thirst for 'the good life', he is surely one of the most popular chefs in living memory.

Photo Credit: The Lucky Onion

Now I’ve been itching to go to St. John every time I venture to the capital, but somehow I’ve never quite made it. The closest I’ve been is peeping through Clerkenwell’s window during a busy Saturday night service, and drooling over the doughnuts and welsh rarebits at Maltby Street Market, cursing myself for not being hungry, then doubly cursing for not thinking of getting something to save for later.

Sure, Henderson’s appearance is a little eccentric – small round glasses and pinstripe suits – and to many his food might be seen in that way too, but to me it’s anything but. He’s somehow charmed us into eating all the parts of the animal that we’d have otherwise ignored. It’s respectful, honest, gutsy (literally), and generally quite simply put together – none of that razzle dazzle liquid nitrogen faff!

Such bold plates of food are definitely worthy of Sunday status, and The Lucky Onion tapped into that with gusto. ‘Lunch with Fergus’ was a five course feast for 40 hungry guests, on one long table in the Crazy Eights part of 131 The Prom.

Excitement was through the roof in the lead up to the event, and as I strolled over to the grand hotel, nerves took over. Who was going to be there? What will I say? How was the afternoon going to pan out?... As soon as I walked in, Henderson’s familiar face was there. Trying my best not to make an idiot of myself or gawk at him in awe, I did manage to ask just one question without spurting some star struck ramblings. What he was drinking? Campari and white wine; otherwise known as a Bicyclette. Classic.

A cold glass of Nyetimber calmed my nerves, but I still felt like a very small fish in a flippin’ big pond. There were a couple of faces that I recognised, and everyone was being far too casual about the whole situation. Frankly, I just wanted to jump up and down with glee.

The Lucky Onion kitchen team were not only joined by Mr St. John himself, but also by St. John chef Giles Edwards, and it all kicked off with Brown Shrimp & White Cabbage. Little brown shrimp are never going to win in the beauty stakes, but they sure pack a lot of flavour. Sweet and salty, they were tangled up in the weaves of shredded white cabbage along with capers and herbs. The whole dish had a coating of lemon juice and olive oil, and it was a fresh, crunchy, and altogether quite a healthy first course.

Accompanying our lunch was some of Henderson’s own wine made from old vineyards in the Minervois, France; Boulevard Napoléon Granache Gris and Cabernet Franc, both 2012 and both a whopping 14.5%. I'm a big lover of a decent Cab Franc, which is exactly what this was, but it was the Granache Gris that really stood out. Clean and fresh, with a rich and creamy texture, it had a lovely smoky liquorice edge on the finish. I'll be hunting this one down.

Next on the menu was his 'signature dish'; Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad. Many wows were expressed as giant plates of the slowly roasted bones were brought out, and Fergus then came out to explain how we should construct our "happy bone moment". With big gestural movements, we understood that we were to get a slice of toast, scoop the bone marrow out onto it, top it with the parsley salad, and finally sprinkle over some wet salt. (Wet salt is the layer of salt beneath Fleur de Sel; it's greyer in appearance and has a more minerally taste.)

Voted as one of the greatest dishes of all times by food writer Tom Parker Bowles, the bone marrow (which I think were veal shin bones - but don't quote me on that) had a creamy jelly like consistency, somewhere between a paté and a panna cotta, and they were packed full of meaty flavour. The parsley salad, spiked with lemon, capers and thinly sliced shallots cut through it's fattiness, with the toast adding a desirable charred crunch. The salt made me salivate, after each mouthful I craved another bite, and the DIY aspect was not only fun, but got everyone talking.

The main course was another St. John fave; Pig's Head & Potato Pie. I guess anyone who's ever been to a hog roast in their time, has had experience of seeing some scorched porker's face; all the meat gets taken from the body with the head left in tact, which is inevitably later discarded - it's all for show. Well, none of that business here, the head's the star ingredient. Not just fleshy, not just fat, it made prime pie filling material. Then combined with potatoes and encased in the most buttery pastry, I'd say it was a pork pie made for the gods. A simple vinegary salad of watercress and roasted red onions is all that was needed to accompany it, and not a drop of gravy in sight!

To seduce our sweet side, we had a single scoop of Chocolate Ice Cream; truffle-rich, bittersweet and indulgent, a scoop is all that was needed! I've read about his FIVE DAY ice cream recipe for St. John, so I'm guessing this was it? Either way, it was divine.

Coffee and the most marvelous Madeleines rounded everything off. Having been bought a Madeleine tin for Christmas, I've been trying various recipes out, but none have tasted anywhere near as good as these. Fresh out of the oven, the light and springy sponges had a sweet honey butter taste, and the scalloped edges and recognisable 'nipple' on the back never cease to crack a smile. I fear I ate more than my fair share.

Clearly The Lucky Onion sure know how to host a soirée, and although I might have spent the next day in bed with a sore tum having pigged out so much, literally (my cursed IBD, nothing to do with the amazing chef skills!), I can put this down as one of my all time favourite foodie experiences. I can only hope that I get to go to another!

The above photos are from The Lucky Onion's Facebook Page. Check out Kirstie Young's blog post and also this snazzy video..

The Lucky Onion Club presents Sunday Lunch with Fergus Henderson from The Lucky Onion on Vimeo.